The ocean floor – can they dig it?

NOT everyone is thrilled by a plan to mine the ocean floor for the first time. It follows the discovery of significant mineral deposits off the coast of Papua New Guinea.

Nautilus Minerals, a mining company in Vancouver, Canada, has been scouring the ocean floor for dormant hydrothermal vents, which are known to contain metal sulphides – rich sources of gold and copper. For mining to be viable, such deposits must be at least 15 metres thick.

Last week, the company reported that sea-floor deposits near Papua New Guinea extend to 19 metres. Nautilus is now working on environmental studies to allow it to apply for a mining lease from the Papua New Guinea government.

“The prospect of a sea-floor mine is unthinkable because of the effects on marine life”

Craig Cary, a marine biologist at the University of Delaware in Newark, says the prospect is unthinkable because of ...

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